Is ’13 Reasons Why’ more harmful for mental health than helpful?

This week it was revealed that the highly popular, and equally controversial series, 13 Reasons Why will be returning to Netflix for a second season. The show, based on a book of the same name, tells the story of 17-year-old Hannah Baker, who takes her own life. Her motivations are explained posthumously through a series of pre-recorded tapes; each addressing a different classmate whom she deems responsible for her death.

The program has been met with a barrage of criticism – mostly from concerned parents and teachers, with one deeming the show’s brazen illustration of staff negligence as “an abject humiliation to our profession”. Only one pastoral member of staff features in the program: Mr Porter, who fails to pick up on the flagrant bullying Hannah encounters, let alone the fact that she’s suicidal. She doesn’t confide in any of her peers prior to her death and her parents are equally unaware of her ongoing anguish. Consequently, an overriding sense of hopelessness pervades the series. Hannah’s entire trajectory feels fatalistic from the outset and therefore her ultimate action feels inevitable.

“The vast majority of people who experience suicidal thoughts are able to overcome them and find the will to live again, with some time and support” argues Dr Alberto Pertusa, a private psychiatrist in London who regularly treats young patients told us. The show takes a far more pessimistic approach, in which Hannah’s sole attempt to confide in Mr Porter results in him simply telling her to “move on”. This highlights how complex it is to detect when someone might be suicidal, which is, undoubtedly an important message. It is not, however, the prevailing one, which can be read more along the lines of “why bother confiding in anybody at all if they aren’t going to show a sliver of empathy?”. At a time when we’re seeing a rise in young people taking their own lives, could this dissuade people from seeking the help that they need?

Then there is the issue of conveying Hannah’s suicide as an act of vengeance; whereby she uses the tapes to attribute blame to each of the classmates who have wronged her. “It seems heroic, which could cause young people to see suicide as a way to escape from the world instead of promoting life and recovery from suicidal thoughts,” Pertusa continued. What follows is a series of desperate, yet unsuccessful, attempts at revenge on Hannah’s peers, carried out by her love interest Clay. But are the concepts of revenge and justice a fair dichotomy on which to judge something as complex as suicide? What’s more, there is no mention of mental health at all in the entire series – despite two characters being sexually assaulted, one being killed and another attempting suicide, which seems like an extraordinary oversight.

Following the consecutive student suicides at The University of Bristol, the show feels disturbingly timely. While it is arguably a brilliant platform for raising awareness – Selena Gomez is an executive producer which is another reason for the high public interest – it perpetuates an endless wave of concerns. For example, how constructive is it to see such a delicate issue relayed through the romanticised lense of television?

While topically, the program is harrowing, aesthetically it is completely captivating. Dazzling colours and enchanting rays of incandescent lighting frequently undermine the fragility of the plot. The prom scene, for example, is embellished with glowing gowns, illuminated decor and an emotive soundtrack, all taking place under the haze of an intoxicating indigo hue, epitomising a kind of doomed utopia. Yes, it’s a TV show and quality production is to be expected, but how appropriate is it to see such a harrowing subject matter relayed with such beauty? And what might the consequences of this juxtaposition be? “It could easily provoke copycat attacks” argued Elise Wassermann, mother of two teenage daughters. “It’s a very surrealistic and visually seductive way to tell the story of a teenager who takes her own life,” she told us.

Will season two do anything to subside some of the criticism? Screenwriter Bryan Yorkey implied that closure will be a foregrounding feature of the narrative arc, particularly regarding Jessica’s rape by classmate Bryce, who is never prosecuted for his actions: “I want to do Jessica’s story the deserved justice” he told Entertainment Weekly, “it’s something that millions of young women go through. And also [I want to] see somebody punch Bryce in the face.”

What about Hannah’s stalker? And the rest of her vitriolic classmates, will they face condemnation? “One way we’ll explore that question is through the trial and also through all of these kids reflecting on where they are a few months down the road and what other secrets are being uncovered,” Yorkey continued.

“We’re going to see a lot of things we hadn’t even heard about yet that fill in some really interesting gaps in our understanding of who Hannah Baker was and what her life was.”

Whatever you made of the show, it has certainly got people talking about this increasingly worrying issue–one that had previously been lacking in attention from mainstream culture. So while 13 Reasons Why quite rightly raises eyebrows, hopefully it can continue to raise awareness and reach a point whereby it is more helpful than it is harmful.